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“Transcendentally wonderful” lecture by game developer Brian Moriarty, oft referenced by Jonathan Blow. Moriarty created several intellectually stimulating games in the 1980’s and 90’s. Blow has mentioned Trinity being a key influence on Braid.

Contemplating these dazzling jewels of wisdom and eloquence gives rise to an extraordinary feeling.

A potent, rare and precious emotion with the potential to completely upset your life.

An emotion powerful enough to make a man abandon his wife and children, forfeit career and reputation, lay down his possessions and follow his heart without questioning.

That sweet, sweet fusion of wonder and fear, irresistible attraction and soul-numbing dread known as awe.

Awe is the Grail of artistic achievement. No other human emotion possesses such raw transformative power, and none is more difficult to evoke.

Few and far between are the works of man that qualify as truly awesome.

…

Now, please don’t come away from this lecture thinking that the key to awesome game design is the installation of Easter eggs!

Ordinary games, with their contrived Easter eggs and cheat codes, are like the Battery of the Month club.

You have to trudge down to the back of the store to get what you really came for.

If super power is what people really want, why not just give it to them?

Is our imagination so impoverished that we have to resort to marketing gimmicks to keep players interested in our games?

Awesome things don’t hold anything back.

Awesome things are rich and generous.

The treasure is right there.

Via Hammish Todd on The Witness blog, who produced a play based on this lecture.